DHAKA, Aug  8, 2023 (BSS)-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the operations of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on October 7.

“We have completed around 82 percent construction works of the third terminal. The 3rd terminal will have the state of the art of amenities for passengers,” Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman at a press conference here today.

He said the passengers would be able to use the entire terminal by the end of 2024, adding, “Our target is to complete 90 percent of the works before its inauguration. We hope that the works will be completed according to our plan.”

According to the CAAB information, during the inauguration on October 7, 12 boarding bridges out of 26 will be under operations.

Once it would be fully operational, the new terminal, covering an area of 5,42,000 square metres, will be capable of serving more than 12 million passengers annually, it said. 

As construction is in its final stage, the magnificent architecture of the third terminal building is now visible. Works on interior decoration and installation of various types of equipment is going on.

Earlier, on December 30, 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work of the terminal aimed at boosting Dhaka airport's passenger and cargo handling capacity.

The project is being implemented at a cost of Tk. 21,300 crore. Bangladesh will contribute Tk. 5,000 crore, while Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide the remaining funds.

Currently, 120-130 planes of 33 airlines can take off from and land at HSIA's Terminal 1 and 2.

Every day about 30,000 to 35,000 passengers use the two terminals. As such, Dhaka airport serves around eight million passengers annually.

It will be possible to serve an additional 12 million passengers when the third terminal is opened.

The new terminal will feature a parking apron capable of accommodating 37 aircraft. It will also have 26 boarding bridges. For arrivals, there will be a total of 59 counters including five automated ones to provide fast and better service to the passengers.

In addition, 16 baggage belts will be installed in the third terminal while there will be four separate belts for the overweight baggages.

For departure, the terminal will have 115 check-in counters, including 15 self-service ones, and 66 departure immigration counters with 10 automatic passport control counters.

Multi-storied car parking with a capacity of accommodating 1,044 cars is also being constructed in the world class terminal, CAAB sources said.

The construction of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's third terminal in Dhaka is being done by Japan's Mitsubishi, Fujita and South Korea's Samsung.